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Their delight, however, began to be tempered with anxiety when they saw the reckless man creep to within twenty yards of the monster, making use of the ice-blocks as it had done before him. The intentions of the Kablunet were incomprehensible to his friends.
"But he was not polite, for if he spoke to you of `other' fools, he must have thought of you as one fool. Was he your own torngak?" "No; I have no torngak. He was my grandmother's. And he told me that the Kablunet was a great angekok, and would have a torngak of his own soon. Moreover, he said the games must begin at once so come along, Ippegoo."
And now, at last, here was actually a Kablunet a real foreigner in the body; but not alive! It was extremely disappointing! Our sturdy Eskimo, however, was not a good judge of Kablunet vitality. He was yet rubbing the man's broad chest, with a sort of pathetic pity, when a flutter of the heart startled him. He rubbed with more vigour.
"Tell me, Kablunet," he began; but Rooney interrupted him. "Don't call me Kablunet. Call me Red Rooney. It will be more friendly-like, and will remind me of my poor shipmates." "Then tell me, Ridroonee," said Angut, "is it true what I have heard, that your countrymen can make marks on flat white stuff, like the thin skin of the duck, which will tell men far away what they are thinking about?"
While ascending, Rooney took care to avail himself of the rugged nature of the ice, so as to conceal himself entirely from the bear though this was scarcely needful, for the animal's back was turned towards the Kablunet, and his whole attention was concentrated on the gulls.
"This day," continued Angut, "I saw a band of Kablunet sailors " He got no further than that, for Grimlek attempted to spring up. The heavy hand of Angut, however, crushed him back instantly, and a spear-point touched his throat. "Down with the villains!" shouted Rooney, laying the grasp of a vice on the neck of the man next to him, and hurling him to the ground.
Angut and the Kablunet have bewitched you. But now, I tell my torngak to enter into your heart, and unbewitch you. Now, do you not feel that he has done it?" The youth, still smiling, shook his head. "I knew it," continued the wizard, purposely misunderstanding the sign. "You are all right again. Once more I lay my commands on you. Listen.
Angut was particularly restless during the night, and got up several times to take a look at the weather, as Rooney expressed it. On one of these occasions he found the Kablunet standing by the shore of the calm sea. "I don't like the look o' things," said Rooney, giving a sailor-like glance at the horizon and the sky. "It seems to me as if we were goin' to have dirty weather."
With much solemnity Okiok rejoined that he had no doubt of Ujarak's being aware that the man was a Kablunet. "And I am glad you have come," he added, "for of course you can also tell me where the Kablunet has come from, and whither he is going?"
Will you and your men sit down and listen?" For a few moments Grimlek did not reply. Then he said, "You are not an Eskimo?" "No, I am a Kablunet," replied Egede; "I have been sent to tell the Eskimos about the true God." Again the robber chief was silent. Then he said that he would consult with his men, and retired with them a short distance to do so.
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